Foldable rack



Jan. 19, 1937. H. c. JERNSON FOLDABLE RACK Filed Feb. 29, 1956 INVENTOR.

ATTORNEY.

Patented Jan. 19, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFl C E FOLDABLE men Henry0. Jernson. 'I'rego, Wis. Application February 29, 1936, Serial No.66,457

4 Claims.

This invention relates to racks such as those used in the drying ofclothes, towels, or the like, and has special reference to one adaptedfor attachment to a wall or frameespecially suited 5 for same.

The principal object of the invention is to provide a more convenientand practical device of this character.

Another object is that of providing a novel form of frame structure forsuch a rack; simplicity of construction being a still further object ofthe invention.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear in thefollowing description thereof.

is Referring now to the accompanying drawing, forming part of thisapplication, and wherein like reference characters indicate like parts:

The illustration is a perspective view of the rack in extended positionfor the support of towels or go the like to be suspended thereupon.

The entire rack is preferably constructed of wire of suitable size andstrength for the purpose intended, and the principal supporting memberis formed from a single piece of wire of any desired length with itsopposite ends bent at right angles to the body portion I, as at 2, andagain backwardly upon themselves as at 3, forming two parallel loops orslot-like portions indicated at 4, with the extreme end of eachextending somewhat above the upper bend in the loop and being bent insubstantially a circle forming an eye indicated at 5' through which ascrew, nail, or the like, may be inserted for attachment to a wall orframe,

as the case may be; it being apparent that the 3 axes of the eyes 5 areat right angles to the axes of the loops 4. The extreme ends of thewire, as illustrated at 6, are shown as being bent outwardly again atright angles to the axes of the eyes for pivotal reception of the endsof the upper- 40 most U-shaped wire member comprising the side portionsI and front bar 8 to permit of this U- shaped member 1-8 being swingablycarried upon the termini of the main wire support just described. It isapparent that the trunnions 6 45 for the support of the rack member 1-8may be in the form of eyes and similarly function.

A third U-shaped wire member is shown as having the side portions 9 andback portion ill, the termini of which are hookedly pivoted as at ll 50within notch like loops l2 formed in the corners of the member 1-8, sothat when the device is fixed to an upright support by attachment of thefirst described U-shaped member and extended as illustrated in thedrawing, 'it forms a staunch g5 frame-like support, readily foldable tosuspended position, as indicated in dotted lines, by simply raising theinnermost portion, of the last mentioned U-shaped member 9-"), thecorners of which readily slide upwardly in the slot-like loops 4, whenthe entire rack will assume a folded 5 vertical position against thewall.

It will of course be understood that any desired form of bars or rodsindicated at l3 may be fixed at their ends to the side members 1 of theU- shaped member 1-8; the bar 8 acting as one of 10 such.-

Or, if the device is used for other purposes, such as the drying ofsmall quantitiesof fruit or the like, instead of the bars l3 extendingfrom one side member I to the other, a shallow tray or screen may besubstituted. For optimum results in the functioning of the support fortherack in its extended position, the inner portion of the U-shapedmember 9l 0 must fall to a point at least slightly below the horizontalplane of the terminal connections of such member with the member 1-8.

From the above it will be apparent that I have devised an exceedinglypractical and convenient foldable rack for the purpose intended.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure byLetters Patent, is:

1. A foldable rack of the type' described comprising in combination aU-shaped member having elongated slots in the opposite side extremitiesthereof and having means for attaching it to a supporting object, asecond U-shaped member pivotally attached to the termini of said firstmentioned member, a third U-shaped member pivotally attached to thecorners of said second 5 member with its corners slidablysupportedwithin said elongated slots of the first member, and a plurality of barsfixed transverse the rack from one side of said second member to theother for support of any desired object. 40

2. A frame structure for a towel rack consisting of three pieces ofwire, one for attachment to a wall or the like, having spaced verticallydisposed elongated parallel loops formed therein, one adjacent eitherend of the wire, a small circularloop formed intermediate of the extremeends and the upper termini of said loops for the reception of holdingmeans, a second piece of wire of general U-shape having its terminipivotally attached to the termini of the first mentioned piece of wire,and a third U-shaped piece of wire having its termini pivotally attachedin the corners of the second mentioned piece and with the corners of thethird men-'55 4. A foldable vwire rack of the class described comprisingthree substantially U-shaped members, the end portions oi! one of whichare each provided with an elongated slot, the second ofsaid membershaving its termini pivotally unitedto the termini of the first member,and the third member having its body portion slidable in said elongatedslots and its termini pivotally joined to the corners of said secondmember.

HENRY c. .imu soN.

